News & Events

Alliance of suburbs promotes regional cooperation

by Glenn Gilbert
The Oakland Press
Dec 24, 2006   

It may be too late for a last-minute stocking stuffer, but membership in the Michigan Suburbs Alliance might be worth considering anyhow.

"As a resident of southeast Michigan, you have a stake in the welfare of its inner-ring suburbs,” wrote Conan Smith in a recent fundraising letter.

“These communities are the link between Detroit and its outlying suburbs and, as such, they are critical to the success of a cohesive region,” said Smith, executive director of the Ferndale-based alliance.

The alliance was formed in 2002. Charter members from Oakland County include Berkley, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge and Southfield. Farmington Hills is an affiliate member.

But just what is an “inner-ring” suburb, and does Pontiac qualify?

“We struggle with a definition,” Smith said. “We see Pontiac as a sibling community to current members. It is built-out, it needs redevelopment and it has interrelationships with its surrounding communities.”

You would think of inner-ring suburbs as those that are closest to Detroit, but that wouldn’t explain why cities like Ypsilanti and Rockwood are members of the alliance.

Pontiac city officials have not discussed potential membership in the alliance. But Mayor Clarence Phillips said, “Ideas are not something we run away from,” and that he would discuss the matter with Southfield Mayor Brenda L. Lawrence since her community is a member.

The mission of the alliance is to foster redevelopment, regional collaboration through sharing of services and policy reform.

For instance, the alliance contends that because of the complexities typically associated with redeveloping older, existing properties, investment often bypasses inner-ring, older and mature suburbs for outlying, undeveloped land at the metropolitan fringe. Many developers in southeast Michigan perceive that developing in older cities has to be difficult and, as a result, these communities are missing out on opportunities at a time when they need them most.

The alliance has launched a program called Redevelopment Ready Communities, in which cities are encouraged to institute a set of best practices. A certification system signifies that their development processes have been made more efficient and less complicated. This year the alliance celebrated its first “redevelopment ready” communities, among which are Hazel Park and Southfield.

In terms of regional approaches, Smith said that “with more than 1,000 units of government in southeast Michigan, regional cooperation is essential to improving the viability of cities throughout the region.”

This is especially true in an era of reduced federal and state spending on cities and the shrinking property tax bases of older cities.

Michigan is one of the most governmentally fragmented states in the nation, according to the alliance. While this may offer such benefits as smaller, more accessible governments, it often results in local interests superseding the welfare of the region.

The alliance’s Creating Collaborative Communities project is designed to help city leaders make partnerships with other local governments to deliver key services such as police, fire protection and public works.

Members of the alliance’s board of directors include Hazel Park City Manager Ed Klobucher and Huntington Woods Mayor Ron Gillham.

Funding sources for the alliance include the C.S. Mott Foundation, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Kellogg Foundation, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

Membership in the alliance is open not only to corporate and governmental entities, but also to individuals for as little as $50.

“No matter where you live in southeast Michigan, your fate hinges on whether we can bring about a unified, stable and economically productive region,” Smith said. “Reversing the trend of disinvestment in our inner-ring suburbs will not happen overnight. The challenges facing our communities are considerable, but change is attainable.”

To join, visit the alliance site at www.suburbsalliance.org or call (248) 546-2380.

This article appeared in The Oakland Press on December 24, 2006.